Semiconductor devices are used in a variety of electronic applications, such as personal computers, cell phones, digital cameras, and other electronic equipment. Semiconductor devices are typically fabricated by sequentially depositing insulating or dielectric layers, conductive layers, and semiconductive layers of material over a semiconductor substrate, and patterning the various material layers using lithography to form circuit components and elements thereon.
Dozens or hundreds of integrated circuit dies are typically manufactured on a single semiconductor wafer. The individual integrated circuit dies are singulated by sawing the integrated circuit dies along scribe lines. The individual integrated circuit dies are then packaged separately, in multi-chip modules, or in other types of packaging.
Contact pads are used to make electrical connections to integrated circuit dies in some applications. The contact pads are formed on the integrated circuit dies and are connected to underlying circuitry. Electrical connections may be made to the contact pads of integrated circuit dies by wire bonds, connectors, or other types of devices. Packages for integrated circuit dies may also include contact pads that are used for making electrical connections to the packaged integrated circuit dies, in some applications.